“All business for me” – Denice Zamboanga says friendship with Stamp won’t hinder her from becoming ONE world champion

Filipino atomweight fighter Denice Zamboanga is setting aside her friendship for the time being with Stamp Fairtex as she tries to realize her goal of becoming a ONE world champion.

‘The Menace’ will challenge the Thai superstar for the ONE atomweight MMA world title she holds at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1. It is one of five world title fights on offer at the first-ever live on-ground ONE Championship event in Qatar.

Speaking with The MMA Superfan, 27-year-old Zamboanga shared her thoughts on the grand opportunity presented to her and what her mindset is heading into it.

The division’s second-ranked contender said:

“Yeah, of course. Especially how long I’ve waited for this world title opportunity. It doesn’t matter who the champion is, be it her or someone else, my mindset going into the fight will always be that way. This is going to be all business for me.”

Check out the full interview below:

The world title shot comes nearly five years after Denice Zamboanga started her ONE journey. She was previously in line for a title shot against former champion and now-retired Angela Lee, but the match never took place as ‘The Unstoppable’ had her pregnancy and then the pandemic.

She is riding back-to-back victories heading into ONE 166: Qatar.

Stamp, who is a former teammate of Zamboanga at Fairtex Gym, is making her first defense of the world title she claimed in September when Lee vacated it before going into retirement, with a third-round TKO win over South Korean Ham Seo Hee.

ONE 166: Qatar will take place at the Lusail Sports Arena and air live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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Denice Zamboanga believes she is primed for a world title shot

A veteran of top-level fights in ONE Championship, Denice Zamboanga believes she is now primed for a world title shot and is appreciative that she is now given that opportunity.

The Filipino martial artist will vie for the ONE atomweight MMA world title against reigning champion Stamp Fairtex at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1. It is a fulfillment of what she has been angling for since she came on board in the promotion in December 2019.

But while it took a while before she got the nod for a world title shot, Zamboanga believes it worked well in her favor as she is now better prepared to make an assault on the world title.

She shared this in an interview with The MMA Superfan, saying:

“I feel that I have been prepared for this moment. I feel that this is God’s will, that the Lord has a purpose to delay my world title shot. I feel that this time, it is really mine.”

Denice Zamboanga was last in action in April last year, where she defeated Brazilian Julie Mezabarba by unanimous decision. It was her second straight victory after losing back-to-back matches previously, both at the hands of South Korean Ham Seo Hee.